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NEWSLETTER Issue #2.4 APRIL 2010

Museum a few kilometres up the mountain

BACK FOR ANOTHER
SEASON!
The snows have now melted
on the highest peaks and April
will soon hail the start of
another hiking season on the
island.
March saw the beginning of the new Spring
schedules and buses have begun their routes
into the mountains again and I have devoted
some space here for a few of the subsequent
access hurdles to consider when visiting
Yakushima this season.
road from Anbo. The parking here is free
should you have your own transport but the
only way you can get to the Trail entrance
from here is by shuttle bus, organised coach
or taxi.
Please note that this does not affect traffic
going up to Yakusugiland or the Yodogawa
Trail Entrance – only the spur road that leads
off to Arakawa Trail Entrance.
Why you may ask have the authorities gone to
such lengths to disturb your travel plans. Well
the answer is simple and is right here below...

Arakawa Trail Entrance

Travel Restrictions

People.
Far too many In this Issue
people.
In 2000 there were
29,700 hikers on the • Arakawa Trail
trail to Jomon Sugi. Entrance restrictions
In 2006, this rose to
63,200 and in 2008 • Turtles already in
The stretch of road between Arakawa Junction
a massive increase Nagata
and the Arakawa Trail Entrance is now
permanently closed to private traffic between brought the number • Spring Temperatures
March 1st and November 30th. to 92,600.
• Yakushima Sea
This means that you will not be able to drive a If any of you have
ever been to the Festival
hired car up to the Trail Entrance. There is a
barrier after the car park in front of Yakusugi Arakawa Trail
 Tickets for both taxis 0341] 9am – 7pm
and the bus can be Mori-no-hidamari,
found at the following Anbo [Tel: 49-7101]
places on Yakushima: 7.30am - 7pm
Airport Tourist JR Hotel, Onoaida
Entrance, you would no later than the day Information Centre
know that it has a tiny before your trip and [Tel: 47-2011] 7am – 10pm
[Tel: 49-4010] 8.30am –
car park and just can't they cannot be bought 6pm Yakushima Youth
cope with the recent outside of the island. Hostel, Hirauchi [Tel:
numbers of visitors. The taxi companies The Arakawa access restrictions (The red part is closed)
Inconvenient as it themselves are now
may be, this system is authorised to sell
therefore a necessity these tickets.
for the very survival
of the island. By bus: A shuttle
So here are the details bus called the
of what you need to 'Arakawa Tozan
do to get to the bus' runs from
Arakawa Trail Yakusugi museum
Entrance: to Arakawa Trail
Entrance and costs
By taxi: Taxis can be
¥870 one way and
arranged beforehand
¥1700 return for
but they need a
adults and ¥340
special one way
one way and ¥650
'ticket' which costs
return for children.
¥200 per adult and
The journey time is
without which they
40 minutes. Miyanoura Tourist 47-3751] 7am - 9pm
will not be allowed
up. Information Centre
The bus ticket can You can also try any
[Tel: 42-1019] 8.30am –
The name of the only be bought no 5pm
convenience store.
ticket is the later than the day If you don't use the
'Jomonsugi – before your trip and Anbo Tourist ticket, you can get a
Arakawa sen riyo cannot be bought Information Centre refund from the
ticket'. You must outside the island. [Tel: 46-2333] 8.30am – Tourist Information
purchase this ticket(s) 5pm
Centres before 10th
Dec 2010.
Yakusugi Museum,
Anbo [Tel: 46-3113] 9am
– 6pm Here's the Shuttle
bus Timetable:
Yakushima
Environmental From Yakusugi
Culture Village museum car park: 6
Centre, Miyanoura buses a day at these
[Tel: 42-2900] 9am – 6pm times - 4.40am, 5am,
Nakagawa Sports, 5.20am, 5.40am
Miyanoura [Tel: 42- (connects with the
Matsubanda bus), 6.00 many countries. The
am (connects with the most common place to
Yakushima Kotsu find it is on amazon.
bus), 12.30pm.
It's also available on
From Arakawa Trail Yakushima in
Entrance: 11 buses a Yakusugiland and
day at these times - Kashima Kougei in
7am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm Anbo.
(connects with the
Should you have any
Yakushima Kotsu
difficulty locating a
bus), 3pm, 3.30pm,
copy of the guide let
4pm, 4.20pm
me know and I will
(connects with the
see if I can help.
Matsubanda bus),
4.40pm , 5pm temperatures at cleaning, free water Updates on the
(connects with the different altitudes for sports take place on information in the
Yakushima Kotsu March – May (more Anbo river and at guide book will be on
bus), 5.30pm and 6pm. details on the website): various beaches yakumonkey.com
around the island. website at 'the guide
The coast: book page' link.
Sea turtle March 14.2°C Yakushima: A
seen in April 17.6°C
Yakumonkey
Should you come
across any changes to
May 20.5°C
Nagata in Guide details in the guide
Shiratani (1000m):
March 2010 March 8°C
book, please let me
know at
Sea turtles have April 11°C yakumonkey.com, and
returned to Nagata this May 14°C I can make the
year early. In fact, the necessary changes and
Jomon Sugi (1300m):
first sea turtle was then inform everyone
spotted at the March 6°C else.
beginning of March April 9.6°C
which is the earliest May 12.5°C
sighting since records
of sea turtle nesting Mt.Kuromi (1831m):
began.
March 3°C
The implications of April 6.6°C The guide book
this are unclear but May 9°C contains a whole
instinct suggests that wealth of information
this is in no way a So come prepared! on Yakushima and is
good thing.
Yakushima available online from a Copyright © Clive
Temperatures wide range of sellers in
Sea Festival is Witham 2010
this Spring on 17 April and in th

return for some early

Here's a quick run morning beach
down of the expected